(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. As verse in an informal typeface poses kid-like questions related to human skin (Why do I sweat?; What causes warts?), a reply in regular type provides rhymed, scientific answers. Occasional "Cool Facts About..." prose sections break from the poetic Q-and-A format and provide more substantial information. Witty digital spot art appears on each thick, glossy page. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. This amusing companion to Truss's popular Eats, Shoots & Leaves and The Girl's Like Spaghetti demonstrates what can happen when one sentence is punctuated in two different ways. (For example: "How many shoes do you need!/?") Timmons's colorful, loose-handed illustrations highlight the comical results. The actual grammatical rules in play are explained at the back of the book.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. This kid-friendly grammar guide stars the "tireless" apostrophe. The text pairs sentences or phrases that are identical but for one apostrophe ("Ladies' lounge / Ladies lounge"), the addition or removal of which humorously changes meaning. Energetic cartoons illustrate the zany situations, making clear the importance of proper punctuation placement. An explanation in the back further clarifies the grammar in each spread.

Reviewer: Katherine Willsky

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. Truss's adult bestseller is here reduced to the section on comma usage, with entertaining results. Accompanied by cartoons that ably illustrate the niceties of the well- or ill-placed comma, identical strings of words are punctuated differently. The concluding appendix re-presents the paired sentences with dry grammatical explanations replete with terms like "independent clause," but the whole is undeniably funny.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2006